Simulate Deployment - SCCM 2012 - A real Cool Feature

Guys !! here I am , Back with my Posts .

Well !! This time we will discuss a new topic which was not there with Previous Versions of SCCM . Now Consider a scenario where you are not sure How a Deployment would behave on Users machine Like dependencies, Requirements , Detection Methods .

In such a case , we wish we had a method of Actually checking how this application/ software would have behaved . But Yes !! with SCCM 2012 We have what we Call Simulated Deployments .

Below are the steps to create and check Simulated deployment !!

Note **** An Important note is that once you have checked the results by Simulated deployment , delete it before you deploy the actual Software . actual Deployment will not work unless Simulated deployment is not deleted . 

 

 

 

Click on Simulated deployment in Upper Tray .

 

 

SCCM Site Server Roles - SCCM 2012

SCCM Site Server Roles :

Found this On Facebook Posted by Some SCCM admin. Thought of Sharing it with you Guys . The actual Source is Microsoft Website :

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Application and Software Deployment SCCM – Part # 3 ( Detection Rules)

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/applications-demystified-part-1/   - Part 1

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/sccm-applications-demystified-part-2-requirement/ - Part 2

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/sccm-applications-demystified-part-2-detection-rules/   Part 3

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/sccm-applications-demystified-part-4-application-request/ Part 4

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/sccm-applications-demystified-part-5-application-request-contd/  - Part 5

While we are done with the Concept of Applications in SCCM 2012 , We are aware that what are requirements in SCCM 2012 , We will now take up the concept of Detection Rules .

Detection Rules : A Detection rule is a concept by which we can find out if a Software has already been present on the user's machine . If the software is present we may not want to install it again . As a direct benefit of this would be that we are not Utilizing the Network bandwidth for the software deployment which the user machine already has !!

Sample Flow Chart :



SCCM Detection Rule Window:

There are Three Types of Detection Rules in SCCM :

• File System – This method allows you to detect whether a specified file or folder exists on a client device, thus indicating that the application is installed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  The File system setting type does not support specifying a UNC path to a network share in the Path field. You can only specify a local path on the client device.

  
  


• Registry – This method allows you to detect whether a specified registry key or registry value exists on a client device, thus indicating that the application is installed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Select the option This registry key is associated with a 32-bit application on 64-bit systems to check 32-bit registry locations for the specified registry key first. If the registry key is not found, then 64-bit locations will be searched.

  
  Windows Installer – This method allows you to detect whether a specified Windows Installer file exists on a client device, thus indicating that the application is installed.
  
  

Application and Software Deployment SCCM – Part # 2 ( Requirement)

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/applications-demystified-part-1/   - Part 1

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/sccm-applications-demystified-part-2-requirement/ - Part 2

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/sccm-applications-demystified-part-2-detection-rules/   Part 3

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/sccm-applications-demystified-part-4-application-request/ Part 4

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/sccm-applications-demystified-part-5-application-request-contd/  - Part 5

In the Last Section ( Part 1 of this Series ) we Talked about What is the difference between the Traditional method of Deploying Software( i.e package) in SCCM 2007 and Application Deployment in SCCM 2012 . And I am sure that now you have a feel of what we can do with the new version of SCCM .

Let us now move to Few of the Important Components of SCCM 2012 Applications : First of them Being :

Requirements : Now try and recollect those days when you used to or for that matter you still do this ; Create a Collection and then deploy a software onto that collection ( Example : If you need to deploy a software onto machines which have 4 GB of RAM , then you create a collection first and then deploy the software onto that collection ) . Wasn't that a pain !!

Well !! it Was . 

But now with SCCm 2012 requirements , you need not do this ! All you need to do is to stabilish a Requirement and then SCCM 2012 will take care of all that . No Collections !!

To Sum up : SCCM 2007 Software distribution was Collection Driven but in SCCM 2012 it is not.

Below Screen Shots will give you an understanding of what will happen : Here we have created a requirement rule that if free space in D Drive is equal or greater than 110 MB , only then install the software

Application and Software Deployment SCCM - Part # 1

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/24/applications-demystified-part-1/   - Part 1

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/sccm-applications-demystified-part-2-requirement/ - Part 2

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/sccm-applications-demystified-part-2-detection-rules/   Part 3

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/sccm-applications-demystified-part-4-application-request/ Part 4

http://sccmconfighelp.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/sccm-applications-demystified-part-5-application-request-contd/  - Part 5

In this series of SCCM 2012 Applications Concept , I will Demystify the concept of Applications in SCCM 2012 . To start with here is a brief snapshot of the new offerings in SCCM 2012 Applications :

For administrative users, the benefits of application management include the following:

• Applications in Configuration Manager support user-centric management so that you can associate specific users with specific devices. Instead of having to remember the name of a user’s device, you can now deploy software to the user and to the device. This functionality can help you make sure that the most important software is always available on each device that a specific user accesses. If a user acquires a new computer, you can automatically install the user’s applications on the device before the user logs on.


• You can send application deployments to users, devices, groups of users, or groups of devices.


• You can use requirements to control the deployment of applications to devices. For example, you can specify that an application can be installed only on computers that have more than 2 gigabytes (GB) of RAM, or specify that you want the application to install only on computers that run Windows 7. Applications are installed only on the computers that meet the specified requirements. Configuration Manager contains a set of built-in requirements called global conditions, and you can also define custom requirements.


• Users can install Windows software directly from the Application Catalog self-service website.


• Users can request approval to install software from a self-service website, the Application Catalog.  Administrative users can approve or deny these requests.


• An administrative user can configure a deployment purpose and action for an application. This configuration controls whether the application is required or optional and whether the application must be installed or uninstalled. Configuration Manager periodically monitors the state of the deployment. For example, if an application has a deployment purpose ofRequired and the user uninstalls it, Configuration Manager automatically reinstalls the application.

How To add Site Server Role in SCCM - 2012

The Below Guide Will help you understand on how to add a Site Server role in SCCM 2012 .

 

 

Hardware Inventory SCCM 2012 .

 

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As we all know that SCCM is a wonderful Tool for Getting the Hardware Inventory from its clients , Howevere there are cases where we might need some extra utilities to get information :

This Includes : IDMIF and NOIDMIF Files :

IDMIF Files ; There are certain cases where SCCM cannot find hardware Information from its Client , Under these cases we use IDMIF files to collect information :

For example,  projectors, photocopiers and network printers.

 

NOIDMIF Files : Use NOIDMIF files to collect information about client devices that cannot be inventoried by Configuration Manager. For example, you might want to collect device asset number information that exists only as a label on the device. NOIDMIF inventory is automatically associated with the client device that it was collected from.

Use the below Link on how to create these files :

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg712290.aspx#BKMK_NOIDMIF